The happy life of teacher librarians: are you sure the brother died, sweetie?

Helping a kid with a speech on Hana's suitcase.

OK, you can focus your speech on an incident in the book that really had an impact on you. (teacher has told me kid x has read the book).

Kid: Well, I guess the bit where she found out her brother was dead

O-kay...but are you sure the brother died?

Kid: Oh yes, George died.

There's a picture of George as a man here in the book...

Kid: He died, miss.

And here's a paragraph about it (reads paragraph, which describes GEORGE finding out how HANA died in Auschwitz - George having survived the war).

Kid: that's right, Hana died.

Now about your speech, what else do you remember about the novel?

Kid: Dunno

But you read it in class, all together

Kid: Yeah, but I didn't listen much.

So why did Hana have to pack a suitcase?

Kid: it was the war

Which one?

Kid: the one with the Nazis

And that was - ?

Kid: World War.

World War 1 or World War 2?

Kid.  One.  Two.  One.  No, it was Two, wasn't it?

Right...

by the end of the lesson, we had the beginnings of a speech....he went away with a printout of what we had composed so far, and we'll work on it a bit more when the class returns.  There are a couple of others especially needing one on one help, and whose removal from the class makes it all work just a bit better...

The happy life of teacher librarians: one step at a time, and make sure you know WHO died (!)

Cheers

Ruth

Handy weekly planner for students

While the PocketMod, as previously mentioned on this blog, is a handy-dandy, cute as a button one-week planner for students, the site's availability seems to vary.

Plan B is this less cute, but just as effective planner from Victoria: http://www.vcehelp.com.au/resources/vcehelpstudyplanner.pdf

So if you have a mentor group, or year group, or kids needing study/organisational help, this might be just what you're looking for.  More than a grid, but less (alas!) than the folding and cutting fun and cuteness factor of the PocketMod.  (Confession: I ended up making a version of the PocketMod using Publisher, just to share with my kids here.  But the VCE planner is a good one too).

Cheers

Ruth

John Marsden writes about the film of Tomorrow When the War Began

I cut out the copy of this article from the Saturday SMH Spectrum section and pinned it up in the library for the students to peruse.  It's online here, with video too (and the picture above).  John Marsden on the film of Tomorrow When the War Began.  Much anticipated film.

It opens 2 September, next week.  I've blogged in other entries about the trailers etc.

Last week, one of the kids was THRILLED to find that there were books for this film.   Can't remember if I could find the first one for him; we have multiple copies, but there has been increasingly brisk John Marsden business in the last couple of months as the film gets closer.

The Blue Mountains west of Sydney NSW were used for some of the location filming - it will be fun to see if the kids pinpoint any particular places they know.

Cheers

Ruth

Historical Facebook: and more links that you thought possible.

The wonderful SLAV blog, Bright Ideas, has a brilliant entry today about how to use the format of Facebook (not the site itself) for a biography task; and links to a freely-available template.

Find it here.

Another blog that is a constant cornucopia of wonderful links is Anne Weaver's Reading Power.  Just toddle over there regularly and you'll find roundup after roundup of links, ideas, inspiration.  She's the blog I've featured on our school's (internal) staff blog this week.

Find Reading Power here.

Will Richardson (Weblogg-ed) offers in his most recent blog entry some thought-provoking and challenging ideas about Unlearning Teaching.  Worth reading and thinking about, and talking about with colleagues.

These blogs are in my blogroll (over in the right hand column).  Don't forget to check this regularly, as it shows the most recent entry for each blog - always something good to be found there.

Tagxedo (tag clouds With Style) was one of the Web 2.0 tools I mentioned at the WeSSSTA conference presentation I gave last night.  I've been amused to see the Sydney Morning Herald use Tagxedo to create graphics related to the election - eg. the party leaders' launch speeches.

Cheers

Ruth

Parent-Teacher Night: reflections, and 10 questions for your child's teacher

We've just had a parent-teacher night here.  I make a point of attending, as a member of the teaching staff.  I may not, in advance, have many (or any) appointments with parents - kids tend to make them with their class teachers.  But I'm not lonely.  A number of parents stop by to say hello - I was year adviser to one of their older children, or am mentor to one of their senior students now, so I hear how the older ones are going, talk about the ones still at school.  Some I'm able to help find other staff members (the kids may know what each of their teachers looks like, but parents need the name tags on the tables). 

And my colleagues see me there, part of the teaching staff, spending my afternoon and evening at school the same as they are.  Good library PR.  A couple of them refer parents to me, or include me in a discussion.  The principal knows I choose to attend; a couple of times he's brought parents to meet me who may have asked about or been appreciative of the library.  As I said, good library PR.  I also have home-made muffins and make a cuppa for the teachers in the faculty to which I belong - they're deep in interview after interview, and I can escape for a few minutes to make a cuppa and bring it to them at their desks.

I've had some teacher librarian colleagues rubbish the idea of attending parent-teacher night, for various reasons.  Me, I know it's my time, I know I probably don't HAVE to be there, but I choose to be there and am happy to demonstrate my professional commitment.  I've had a couple of colleagues ask, bewildered, why are you here?  But they know I am, and will be.  It's my choice, as a teacher.

Years ago I got one of the best bits of advice about parent-teacher night from an English teacher (who I now can recognise was one of my most important mentors in teaching): the parents want to hear something positive about their kids - whoever their kid may be.  It works for me.  It doesn't mean you can't get down to brass tacks when there are problems that need addressing, but it's a useful mindset for a productive, appreciated discussion.

Darcy Moore's excellent blog has a brilliant entry on ten questions he wishes parents would ask him:

How would your child’s teachers fare if asked these questions:


1. What is your educational philosophy?

2. How are you assisting our child to become a self-directed learner?

3. What professional reading are you undertaking at the moment?

4. What are you reading for fun?


5. How do you use technology as a tool to leverage learning in the classroom?

6. What online resources have you created for your class?

7. How do you assist students to learn about digital citizenship?

8. What professional networks and associations are you involved with regularly?


9. What observations can you offer about our child’s happiness at school?

10. What reflections can you make about our child’s growth as a learner and citizen this year?

Useful for one's own reflection/professional development.  Do read the full blog entry and comments (it's a blog worth following, as are his Tweets).
 
Cheers
 
Ruth

PLN: Building your personal learning network presentation

WeSSSTA has invited me to present at their annual inservice at Penrith in August.  I'll be doing a revised/tweaked/personalised version of my presentation about Personal Learning Networks.  Maybe I'll see some of your Social Science colleagues there? - tell them to say hello!  I've attended these over the past few years (at school I report to the SS head teacher, and attend SS faculty meetings), and it will be fun to present.  Good to revisit the presentation, which I put together for the staff here in term two, and see how I can improve/develop it, based on how it went and what I've learned in the intervening time.  Always room for improvement!

Cheers

Ruth

2012: National Year of Reading

The website says:

Welcome

Australian libraries and library associations have got together to turn 2012 into the National Year of Reading, linking together all the great things that are already happening around books, reading and literacy, and giving them an extra boost, with inspirational programs and events taking place across the country.

We’ll be partnering with government, writers, schools, publishers, booksellers, employers, child care providers, health professionals and a whole host of other organisations that share our passion for reading.

“Having books in the home has a greater impact on children in the most disadvantaged families. It is at the lower end of the scale, where books are scarce, that each additional book matters most.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 2010

National Year of Reading

The National Year of Reading goes live to the library and book world at the Australian Booksellers Conference in Brisbane, on 12 July 2010, and Impact 2010, the Public Libraries NSW conference in Albury, on 14 July, but the really big launch date is for the year itself on February 14, 2012.

So how can you get involved? Read on…

The site has flyers, teasers, and lots more info.  Put the date in your calendar now!

Cheers

Ruth